New 260 build day at the range

[yobuck]

What "other scope"?

Nightforce, not to say there arent others that would do a good job also, probably including Vortex.
But it didnt work for us on this gun. Buying a Nightforce for how we use them is like buying
a Mack truck. You might find better but you wont go wrong. I only know 2 guys who claim they
had issues and both were parralex related. Im of the opinion they might pay more attention to
focus than parralex but they claim not.
He bought 2 Nightforces actually because he got a once in a lifetime deal from a former camp member who no longer needs them.
An 8x32 NXS and 5.5X22 NXS both having NPR1 reticles. He had moved these scopes around on various guns he had. Therefore he had
picitinny bases on all and rings having levers on them for tightening. Not sure of brand and he couldnt remember.
But in my opinion they work pretty slick, especially for someone who like him moves scopes around.

[doctnj]

I would LOVE to have nightforce on all of my long range rifles. Heck I would like the razor gen 2 for that matter. I have spent a ton of money in the last 6 mo's and yes cut a small corner with a decent, not top notch, but decent scope. If there is no other way around it I will of course wind up doing what needs done but dang I really just not too long ago got over the shock of spending over 1k on a scope. But when the rifle under it cost 4k to build (other rifle) I can kind of see the point. Then having 6 k sunk into rifle I **** well better shoot some matches and make it worth while and get the hell off the farm!

[yobuck]

There is a very limited market for used benchrest guns. And in some cases no market, especially in the large cartridges.
Example, i recently found a gun for a friend who was looking to build a large 338 on a custom action.
Id heard of a gun for sale whoe's owner had died with specs as follows.
Hall model G custom action with Jewell trigger. (largest action Hall makes)
Mcmillan F/G benchrest stock
30" Hart 1'250 barrel with a barrel/bedding block
Mark 4 Leupold 4x16 scope with i believe Kelby rings and base.
Custom sizing die by the gunsmith, and an adjustable custom seating die.
100 rounds of fired and loaded ammo/brass.
Built by Jim Borden and chambered in an improved version 30x378 with a tight neck
and throated for 200 gr smks. Included was a gauge for o/a cartridge legnth made from barrel stock.
The gun was bought for $2600.
My sons gun that ive referred to had been owned by a Williamsport shooter who also died.
It had been built on the large 995 3 lug Saco action and was chambered in a shortened version 30x378.
Factory Saco rifles with that action had been offered in both 30x378 and 338 Lapua.
It also had a Mcmillan benchrest stock and also a barrel/bedding block. The barrel was toast, but we
bought the gun for $1000. A new barrel chambered by Bruce Baer in 338x378 with a new scope base installed and a muzzel brake
was around $900. The gun currently weighs about 20# with scope. My grandson recently bought a 40 XB Rem with a single shot action,
factory chambered in 300 Weatherby in as new condition from the same guy my son bought the scopes from for $850 with a picitinny scope base.
He bought another one last year in 7 rem mag with a 30" Hart barrel for $900. He killed a deer this year with the 300 wby at about 1100 yds
after installing his Sightron scope.
These were all private deals with no dealers involved.

[Stockrex]

A smith in town has few bench guns on consignment, same story here, gun is cheaper than buying stock and action together, it has been sitting on the shelf for 2 years now.

[doctnj]

Dang! Sounds like you are stumbling into some gold or killing a lot of old shooters!lol. I better tell my wife about the resale issue so she knows it's not worth having me whacked.

[yobuck]

The guy who sold the scopes and the 40x, has as i recall about 10 other guns for sale. All have heavy/heavier barrels with all but one chambered by Bruce Baer.
Several have been built within about the last year as for barrel work. He is meticulous about barrel break in as he is with everything in his life.
He has in my opinion, basterdised the guns with the stockwork and (bottom metal) he created himself. He will never sell those guns in his lifetime
unless he agrees to sell them for essentualy the action and barrel value. And someday somebody will do just that.

[doctnj]

I hope I just solved my problem. As long as I didnt permanently hurt my vortex, its coming off the lapua and going back in the box to wait for the creedmoor to be finished. I just ordered the weaver 6-30 tactical. The scope I took off of that rifle was a weaver and it stood up to the recoil quite well and held zero like a champ. The problem I had was 1. it was only 20 power and 2. and most importantly, it wasnt an open center cross hair. Both of those problems are solved with the new weaver as it comes with open center cross hair. One slight down side to this scope is its basic reticle. But since this rifle will be used on single targets, hold offs and overs dont have to be fast so an ebr-2/christmas tree reticle although nice is not necessary. Its a lot of scope for a very good price. Its gotten quite a good review every where I looked. So load work up on the 338 is on hold.

I know if the vortex is messed up they will fix it but what a PIA that would be.

[GaCop]

First off LR Im going to take that comment with a little tongue and cheek. Considering you know I just practically gave my chroney away. I like getting numbers actually. POI shift no big deal. Here are the numbers for the hotter load. Remember there was no standard neck tension so Im not too worked up over the ES.

Series, 7, Shots:,18
Min,2647, Max,2696
Avg,2675 ,S-D,12.2
ES , 49


Series,Shot,Speed
7, 1, 2660, ft/s
7, 2, 2683, ft/s
7, 3, 2674, ft/s
7, 4, 2692, ft/s
7, 5, 2677, ft/s
7, 6, 2677, ft/s
7, 7, 2696, ft/s
7, 8, 2666, ft/s
7, 9, 2666, ft/s
7,10, 2665, ft/s
7,11, 2689, ft/s
7,12, 2647, ft/s
7,13, 2682, ft/s
7,14, 2684, ft/s
7,15, 2676, ft/s
7,16, 2666, ft/s
7,17, 2683, ft/s
7,18, 2673, ft/s

Only one shot above BOOK max velocity. Absolutely no pressure signs at all. I think I can comfortably work around there and test above and below.
Here is pic of ALL 18 shots. It is of limited value except was kind of fun blowing out the center.
http://i1075.photobucket.com/albums/w435/doctnj/Mobile%20Uploads/20160109_151240.jpg
Very nice!

[doctnj]

That pic is actually turned 90* to right so it really is even better. I have my test loads ready and waiting for sat. I think I will walk away with a winner. Shoot I almost decided to not even look after the results from above. But I decided I might leave some meat on the bone so I better see whats out there. This is a custom accurized gun. I may do even better. And although I have to wait several weeks I solved my scope problem. I ordered the big brother weaver to the one i pulled off the 338. Its a 6-30x56 and has some pretty good reviews. It should pair up nicely, It fixes an issue I had with the old weaver. They have an open center so small distant targets are more visible.

I pulled the vortex off last night. Again it was mounted with vortex basic rings. Either it settled in after recoil and caused some of the screws to become loose, or I just didnt tighten some down quite as much as others. Looking at the rings put together after removal, I swear they dont look like a perfect circle. I know it very well is an optical illusion. I could trace it out on paper but didnt really think about that till now. Either way they are being replaced. Im going with the extra high weaver rings. The weaver rings I used on old scope never loosened and held zero perfectly. I really feel high would do but optics planet is saying with 56 objective I need extra high. So that is what i ordered.

So sat I will retest my 260 OCW with out the v3 in place and check velocity after I settle on a load based solely on performance.

[doctnj]

New 260 day two.
Stats 140 gr berger hyb. CBTO 2.250 cci 200's
loaded 5 each of
41.0
41.2
41.5
41.8
42.1
Since I had stumbled on a pretty darn good performer right out of the gate at 41.5 I thought I would bracket that load and go both directions just to see what was out there. I will preface these results with this fact. I was running two test at the same time, switching back and forth between strings. That alone was not a problem except rebuilding a position that was different for each rifle. I tried a variation with one of them at one point and proceeded to shank the shot.
The big problem with alternating was trigger pull. A savage trigger and a jewel. So kind of a two stage trigger of sorts and a light single stage. It was very difficult to re adapt. I wont do this again. When I got to the jewel I was pretty terrible. However when I unknowingly got back to 41.5 it performed well however a big poi shift from previous load. Not sure what to make of that. The shots at 41.5 stayed on same horizontal as did 41.2 with the exception of the one shot that I rebuilt my position and shanked the shot. Oddly these were really the only two that were any where close together the rest were pretty well spread vertically. I think any how that I am on the right track around these two loads and want to load up several more of both and really see if I can put them in there when Im not jumping back and forth between two different kinds of trigger pull.
They are both 5 shot groups.

http://i1075.photobucket.com/albums/w435/doctnj/260ocw1.jpghttp://i1075.photobucket.com/albums/w435/doctnj/260ocw2.jpg